Napo describes Ashanti Regional performance blame as nonsensical, counters with Bawumia’s northern performance:
Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (Napo), the 2024 NPP running mate to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has strongly refuted claims that he failed to deliver votes for the NPP in the Ashanti Region. He dismissed the assertion as “nonsensical,” questioning the logic of such regionally-focused arguments.
In response to questions from a journalist, Napo equated the claim to asking whether Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who hails from the Northern Region, delivered votes specifically for the north, stating that the question makes no sense. He argued that voter turnout and party performance are a national responsibility, and not isolated to regional or ethnic groups, suggesting the questions that are being asked are “tribalizing” politics.
Napo stated that the party’s loss of 2.1 million votes in the 2024 elections was a nationwide issue, not exclusive to any one region. He pointed out that the voter turnout in the Ashanti Region was 65%, higher than the national turnout of 60.4%. He expressed frustration with the idea that the party’s loss could be blamed on one specific region, stating that when he hears that the Ashanti’s didn’t bring votes he “feels like insulting the person.”
Napo firmly stated that the NPP didn’t choose him as a running mate because of his Ashanti roots, emphasizing the need to move away from analyzing election results through a tribal or regional lens. He urged for a focus on national trends rather than attributing the election results to specific regions.
